The invention relates to a method for tying sausages in a rope of sausage using a tying twine supplied from a reel of twine that rotates about the rope of sausage and to which a counterweight is assigned.
In the course of manufacturing sausages in a rope of sausage, it is customary for a sausage meat to be filled by a filling machine via a filling pipe into a tubular packaging sleeve material that is closed off on one side, as a rule being a natural or artificial casing, and then for individual sausages to be formed from this rope of sausage. This takes place, for example, in so-called clipping machines, in which appropriate metal clips are introduced between the sausages, in particular at pre-existing twisting points. Suchlike clipping machines are described, for example, in DE 20 2005 021 188 U1 or DE 10 2005 033 437 A1.
Today, however, the old, traditional tying of sausages by means of a tying twine is being stipulated increasingly. A sausage that is tied with natural tying twine combines product safety and the traditional appearance. The product that has been tied by means of natural tying twine is safe, since no metal or plastic is used in the separation of the portions. The natural tying twine imparts an artisan-made appearance to the product. The procedure is similar to that of the clipping machine, however. Running parallel to the filled casing is a tying twine, which is wound around the casing by the machine once or several times at previously defined, product-related points. It is thus possible for sausages to be tied with or without a spacing between them. Hanging loops can also be integrated, or whole strings of sausages can be formed in the process. A suchlike tying machine is described, for example, in EP 1 053 683 A1.
Having thus been separated and divided into portions, the sausages are then conveyed to the following processing stage for boiling, drying and smoking. This form of portioning or prepacking finds an application wherever either no metal/plastic should be used, or the aim is simply to achieve a traditional artisan-made appearance. Almost all types of sausage with all natural, collagen or artificial casings can be used with this method. There are also various kinds and types of tying twines which are used in this method.
In the tying machines that are present on the market (e.g. the INOTEC Giromatic IG 5 automatic high-speed tying machine), a carrier ring is provided, which is occupied both by a cage, in which a reel of twine is present, and by a counterweight. Said carrier ring rotates about the rope of sausage and, in so doing, wraps the twine around the twisting point in the desired manner. As a result, up to 200 sausages per minute can be tied in high-performance machines. The carrier ring remains stationary between the twisting points, so that the twine is applied along the length of the sausage or the rope of sausage.
These loadings are associated with extremely high vibrations, which cause damage to ball bearings of the rotors or the carrier ring on which the reel of tying twine is supported. Investigations have revealed that, at these speeds—and in particular at the rapid rate of consumption of the tying twine—because of the rapid change in mass of the tying twine rotor, a force arises which causes permanent damage to the ball bearing. Even an already provided counterweight, as is described, for example, as a centrifugal element in EP 1 477 068 A1, is able only to postpone this damage, since the weight of the reel of twine changes on the other side. The counterweight is known to be equivalent approximately to the weight of a housing or a mounting for the reel of tying twine plus half the weight of the reel of tying twine. The reel of tying twine weighs about 150 g. This means that the rotor is perfectly balanced with the reel of tying twine once half of the reel of tying twine has been consumed. An extreme vibration occurs when the reel of tying twine is new or has been used up completely.
A further tying machine is previously disclosed, for example, in DE 25 59 171 C1. This machine is characterized by an opening, through which the meat-filled casing passes, and a device which compresses the casing on the section where tying is envisaged to take place and forces the meat filled into the casing out of this section. Also provided is a spindle or reel, onto which a tying twine is wound. Elements are arranged which feed the reel around a section of the compressed casing and, in so doing, arrange the tying twine in a closed polygon or in a closed curving line in such a way that the reel, at the end of its movement, is able to pass through as it forms a knot. Provided in addition is a device for tightening the tying twine after forming the knot by causing the reel to rotate about its own axis.